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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1995-01-18, Page 10• Snowmobiles terrorizing Zurich sidewalks? One man says they fly past his lawn, despite a bylaw banning them ZURICH - Notwithstanding unseasonably foggy and rainy weather, one Zurich man knows that when winter's snows return, the snowmobiles on his front lawn will too. "I have a very, very serious problem on our end of the Goshen [Street]," Larry Northover told council Thursday evening. Northover described the sidewalk in front of his home as a "racetrack" for snowmobiles. Last Sun- day afternoon, he said three raced down the side- walk, with his two-year old son only steps away. A 1988 bylaw specifically bans snowmobiles from Zurich sidewalks, and, like most municipal- ities, they are only allowed on streets when trav- elling directly to and from a residence. Northover said that last winter he tried to block the paths of snowmobiles by parking his car across the sidewalk. He was, however, warned by the OPP about violating that traffic bylaw, and he claimed the snowmobilers.hid their revenge. "What they did was let the air out of my tires last year," claimed Northover. He said he has tried to get license numbers of the offending snowmobiles, but was told by OPP he would have to take time to testify in court. • "I think you have to impress it is illegal, illegal to Arun a snowmobile on the sidewalk in Zurich," said Northover, who suggested sending notices of the bylaw to snowmobile clubs, and to people who ser- vice the machines. Northover said he doesn't want to discourage snowmobilers from coming to town. He ac- knowledged they often come through from the trails to buy fuel or food. "We don't need to lose their business, we need their business," he said. Councillor Brad Clausius agreed that enforcement isn't getting anywhere, and snowmobiles continue to be a problem on sidewalks. Councillor Barb Jeffrey said she had seen a few up her street, but not on the sidewalk. "I'm sure if I went up and down my sidewalk on a trail bike in the summer, I'm sure my neighbours [would complain]," said Northover. "Now two wrongs don't make a right, and I'm not about to buy a trail bike." Clausius said Northover's suggestions would be taken into consideration, and agreed that signs painted up with bold print indicating no snow- mobiles on sidewalks might be a good idea. "Maybe it won't change, maybe we can't have snowmobiles in Zurich...I don't think we have to get to that point. Snowmobiles are fun," said North- over. Children learn about God's gifts The choir sang "Sometimes Alleluia" accompanied by the organist Agnes Bray. THAMES ROAD - Rev. Jim All- sop was in charge of the regular church service on Sunday morning. The choir sang "Sometimes Alle- luia" accompanied by the organist Agnes Bray. The congregation sang the chil- dren's hymn "Happiness Is the Lord" and Rev. Jim told the chil- dren's story "Gifts that God has given us". Rev. Jim read from the Gospel of John 2:1-11 and the title of his ser- mon wag "The Spirit Brings Abun- dance". The closing hymn was sung "Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart". Church news On Friday, January 20 at 7 p.m. the Messengers will meet at Elim- ville Church. Graduation for those who are in grade four. The Thames Road Church annual meeting will be held on Sunday evening January 29 at 7 p.m. start- ing with desert and coffee. Elimville Church annual meeting will be held on Sunday, February 5 following the church service, pot luck lunch and then the meeting. On Tuesday, January 24, Jim Papple will speak about the Food Bank. Varna, lchurctj,,hagdi lg1annual meeting. The meeting will begin after the church service and lunch. By Joan Beierling VARNA - The annual meeting at the Varna Unit- ed Church will be held Sunday, January 22. There will be lunch following the service. Please bring sandwiches and finger desserts. The meeting will follow lunch. Goshen's meeting will be Sunday, January 29. All reports should be handed into Ivan McClymont and Linda Linfield for Goshen. The Board of Stewards in Varna is looking for a volunteer to fill the position of treasurer for Varna United Church. Anyone interested in this opportuni- ty to become an active participant in the financial management of the church please contact Scott Con- sist, chairman of the board of stewards at 565-2728. The Varna Crokinole Club met last Tuesday, Janu- ary 10 to play singles. Dave and Marg McClure of Exeter, regular members 'of the club, brought guests with them: Bob and Marg Mason are from Perth in Western Australia. Bob and Marg had never heard of the game and were just shown earlier that day. They enjoyed it and the club wouldn't be a bit sur- prised if they take a crokinole board back to Austra- lia with them if possible. They had been in Ontario in 1983 as Bob was an exchange teacher at McGillivray School, so they were back visiting folks they had met. The next crokinole club meeting will be January 24 at 8 p.m. and will be Doubles. The Varna U.C.W. meeting was cancelled last Thursday due to the foggy weather and is resched- uled for Thursday, February 2 at 8 p.m. Margarine manufacturers no longer face colour restrictions CHATHAM - The Ontario Soy- bean Growers' Marketing Board is applauding the action of the pro- vincial government in their remov- al of margarine restrictions in On- tario. On December 21, 1994, the Honourable Elmer Buchanan, Minister Ontario Ministry of Agri- culture, Food and Rural Affairs an- nounced that "effective January 1 1995, Ontario manufacturers will no longer face restrictions on mar- garine colouring beyond the na- tional food safety standards. In ad- dition, restrictions surrounding the oil content of margarine will be re- moved, enabling Ontario manufac- turers to produce a wider range of margrinc products'. As a result of the change, Quebec will not be the only jurisdiction in the world that enforces margarine colour restric- tions. The Minister's decision is partic- ulatly timely, coming just prior to the January 1, 1995 implementa- tion of a GATT provision allowing margarine imports into Canada for the first time in history. Removal of the restrictions will allow do- mestic margarine manufacturers to remain competitive with their for- eign counterparts by eliminating the need to handle more than one colour of product. "Soybean producers in Ontario are very pleased with Buchanan's actions on this matter", explained Ron MacDougall, Chairman of the Ontario Soybean Growers' Mar- keting Board. "Approximately one half of the oil from Ontario's soy- bean crop is used in the production of margarine," says MacDougall. "With the growing production of soybeans in his province, it is cru- cial that the margarine market is maintained." The Oleo Margarine Act, which regulates margarine colour and la- beling, has been a thorn in the side of soybean producers since its en- actment in he 1940s. It was origi- nally designed to help consumers distinguish between margarine and butter, but consumers now have the benefit of packaging differences and labeling. The Ontario Soybean Growers' Marketing Board, as a member of the Institute of F,dible Oil Foods, has communicated to the provincial government the need for removal of the margarine col- our restrictions since their introduc- tion. The changing trade environ- ment and its potential impact on Ontario's edible oil industry was a compelling argument. At the Board's 1993 annual meeting, Elmer Buchanaa—tad promised Ontario soybean produc- ers that he would review the value of the Oleo Margarine Act. "We are pleased that the Minister recognized the problem and had the courage to swiftly deal with this politically sensitive issue. His ac- tions are very timely and reflect his sincere commitment to eliminating unnecessary government regula- tions," said MacDougall. Words of welcome EXETER - "Beginning a New Year" was the theme of the Presbyterian Church wom- en at their regular meeting, "Season's Greetings" and a word of welcome was extend- ed to the members by the pro- gram convener, Donna Web- ster. Luke 11:9-10 was read and hymn 575 was sung. Last years executive read their fa- vourite passage from the Bible, hymn 573 as sung fol- lowed by prayer given by Rev. Charles Henderson. The ladies enjoyed the vid- eo "Sunday morning Gospel Sing" contributed by Marga- ret Strang. The program was readings on the theme from "Chicken Soup for the Soul" by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen and Amy Bolding book on Devotions. The president Margaret Strang, conducted the busi- ness. Names for the 1995 pen pals were drawn. Cards to be sent to the pen pal on Easter and birthday. Gifts Of $2 val- ue will be exchanged next Christmas. Plans for World Day of Prayer to be held at liven on March 3 and the Exeter Villa church service on February 8 were discussed. A social hour was enjoyed by all. Times -Advocate, January 18, 1995 Page 9 One Foot in the Furrow By Bob Trotter Beef cattle declining on Ontario farms You have to wonder when or where it is all going to stop. As if beef farmers don't have enough to worry about, now along comes venereal disease in cattle. Beef farmers have been strug- gling for 20 years in this coun- try, trying to keep going and make enough money to pay the bank and the mortgage and have enough to keep a truck on the road and the kids in school. The number of beef cattle in Ontario alone compared to 40 years ago tells the story in mournful tones. Back in 1954, more than 7.1 million beef cattle graced the pasturelands of Onta- rio. But in 1994, that total had slowly but surely dwindled to 1.5 million . The dry statistics are mute tes- timony to the heartbreak and the disruption that has taken place among farmers. And now, a story out of west- ern Canada is enough to make any cattleman or woman throw up their hands in despair. It seems that safe sex should be practiced, not just by people, but by cattle, too. A devastating venereal dis- ease, bovine trichomoniasis, has become a problem in Canada, said Cornelia Kreplin, chief pa- thologist at Alberta's animal health laboratory in Edmonton. It began when cattlemen no- ticed a drop in conception in their herds. In a cow -calf opera- tion, the bull is left to wander through the breeding herd to im- pregnate as many cows as he can. But this may prove disas- trous if this disease isn't curbed. It is caused by an organism that can live in the sheath and penis of bulls. It causes temporary in- fertility if it infects the repro- ductive organs of the cows. It first appeared in Saskatche- wan two years ago and was spotted in Manitoba and Alberta last year. Canadian scientists say the disease has been present in American cattle for a hundred years but has not been spotted in Canada until two years ago. Bulls, of course, do not know anything about international borders. They jump fences or go through them. One randy bull can infect an entire herd. The troubling aspect of this strain of venereal disease is that there is no known cure or treatment. Infected bulls must be de- stroyed. Wheww! I imagine some men are glad they aren't treated the same way animals are treated. Fortunately, most cows even- tually rid themselves of the or- ganism and will be able to breed and conceive again although some become permanently ster- ile. Veterinarians in western Canada are suggesting that the disease could spread to the east and are warning farmers here to be on the lookout for a drastic drop in conception rates. The best way to control trich as it is being nicknamed, is to use only non-infected bulls for breeding and ensure that the bulls are not exposed to infected cows. This means, of course, ' that these bulls will have to be watched almost constantly and kept home on Saturday nights, too. It'll be tough to teach safe sex in a field where promiscuity is not only accepted but encour- aged. In fact, I don't think they make bull condoms. Even if they did, who is going to stop a lusty bull long enough to apply one? In the world of bulls, I under- stand they are all angry now at the proliferation of artificial in- semination. They figure they will soon be relegated to the hamburger store if enough se- men is collected and stored to keep cows going to the next mil- lennium. No wonder they're mad. But if artificial insemination ever needed a boost in populari- ty, bovine trichomoniasis may be just what the farmer ordered. Focus on fertility workshop LUCAN - Dr. Jay Johnston, a soil science researcher and farm extension worker from Ohio State University, is the keynote speaker for the January 24 meeting. Dr. Johnston will address Fertilizer recommendations - The American \efEne interesting and lE1H'tllsKat- fertility topics round out the practical day: adding sulphur to boost protein, foliar fertilizer, liq- uid versus dry fertilizers, micro nutrients, calcium and manure as a nutrient source. A farmer panel will add some tried and true experience with their stories about fertility on their farms. Farmers and industry personnel can register with any Ontario Min- istry of Agriculture, Food and Ru- ral Affairs office in the area. Lunch is included in the $15. reg- istration fee for those who prereg- Canadian pork gets longer shelf life ALBERTA - In order to better tap lucrative markets in the Pacific Rim, scientists at Agriculture and Agri -Food Canada developed a new technique to extend the shelf life of pork up to 90 days. Once the meat is pasteurized at a high temperature and stored at an ultra -cold temperature it is pack- aged using some new tricks. These include removing oxygen from the package, packaging the pork in im- permeable material, such as a foil laminate, and adding carbon diox- ide to prevent spoilage. The technique has been commer- cially tested in Canada and the pork was a hit in Japan. Canola shifts into diesel SASKATOON - Low quality ca- nola oil is now being tuned up to be added into diesel fuel. Oilseed crops such as canola sometimes get frost damaged and become a non - edible product. Scientists at Agriculture and Agri -Food Canada are now testing a carols oil derivative as an addi- tive to diesel to make a more envi- ronmentally friendl)1 fuel that re- duces air pollution and could be easier to clean up in case of a large spill. ister by January 17. Registration at the door is $20. The program runs from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and will be held at the Lucan Commu- nity Centre. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is sponsor- ing the meeting. ONE. GET ONE FREE! $499 Value Buy a Troy-Bilt • Garden Tractor and get a Troy-Bilt Mukhing Mower absolutely FREE! Offer good while supplies last. PLUS! NO PAYMENTS, NO INTEREST FOR 6 MONTHSr • When you use the Easy Payment :evolving credit plat, there is no down payment la credit qualified customers and the highest requred payment for arsy month may be less than the montNy payment noted, based on the sxgle pu ehhase d the prbcutr model at our 20.9% ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE and current SAVINGS OFFER. 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